SOS Spreadsheet Overuse Syndrome
In working with new customers and companies in the UK engineering and manufacturing sector, the team at E-Max Systems have identified a certain situation that we have called ‘SOS’ or Spreadsheet Overuse Syndrome.
Simply put, SOS is a common situation that a manufacturing company could find itself in if change or growth has not been managed within the business. Often a result of lack of internal resource, organisations are frequently too busy to devote time to finding a solution to the ever-growing volume of paperwork and data.
When a company identifies itself as in SOS – Spreadsheet Overuse Syndrome, it may also describe the situation as CHAOTIC. Basically, due to the standards that they are implementing or running the, workload could at first glance look overwhelming. Bring into the equation also, the ever growing demands put on businesses from their customers, and the situation, if left unchecked could result in ‘breakdown’.
What also compounds the problem is the fact that businesses, in order to make decisions, also require up to date information that enables them to report on the KPI’s that drive the quality / performance and results.
When in this situation, organisations can start to make decisions based on very short term needs, because there is a feeling of lack of control – new systems and procedures can (and are) brought in to FIX or stem the problem. Typically, this resolve may be in the format of an Excel Spreadsheet, enabling the input/output of data – this solution – while seeming effective – is not always the best for the long term prosperity of the organisation.
The main problems with fixing issue using Excel can be: the fix is not properly scoped out, resulting in not helping in long term; the management of information gathering and data input tends to be at management level; also the information is ‘out of date’ the moment it has been captured.
Once this situation has been identified – and the business processes have been reviewed and deemed fit for purpose: one possible solution is the implementation of an ERP system. A manufacturing system has many benefits over multiple spreadsheet overload – not to mention the transparency and business control it can provide to senior management.